No Iranian missiles in Iraq: official
Tehran on Saturday denied reports it had moved missiles to Iraq, stating the claims aimed to hurt Iran’s ties with its regional neighbors, Iranian state news agencies reported.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Tehran on Saturday denied reports it had moved missiles to Iraq, stating the claims aimed to hurt Iran’s ties with its regional neighbors, Iranian state news agencies reported.
“Such false and ridiculous news have no purpose other than affecting Iran’s foreign relations, especially with its neighbors,” Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bahram Qassemi said, according to IRNA.
Previously, Reuters reported that Western, Iranian, and Iraqi sources had stated that Tehran was providing ballistic missiles to its Shia proxy militias in Iraq and helping them develop their own as a means to respond to possible attacks on its interests in the region.
The sources asserted Tehran was giving Shia militias in Iraq aligned with the Islamic Republic ballistic deterrents to protect their assets in the Middle East and “give it the means to hit regional foes.”
“These reports are solely aimed at creating fear between the countries of the region,” Qassemi added.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, following the news reports, took to Twitter to express his “deep concerns” toward Iran deploying ballistic missiles into Iraq.
Pompeo urged Iraqi leaders to quickly form a new government, with the May 12 parliamentary election now far behind.
“If true, this would be a gross violation of Iraqi sovereignty and of UNSCR 2231,” he said in his tweet.
Pompeo was referring to UN Security Council Resolution 2231 that underpinned the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iraq and six world powers.
Trump’s administration withdrew the US from the nuclear deal earlier this year and re-imposed sanctions against Iran.
On Saturday, Pompeo spoke with several Iraqi officials on the phone, namely Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi “to reaffirm US support for Iraq’s efforts to form a modern, nationalist Iraqi government,” US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.
She mentioned that Pompeo emphasized the importance of safeguarding Iraq’s sovereignty during this critical time.
Iran is one of Iraq’s closest allies, and Baghdad has repeatedly been accused of being under heavy influence from Tehran. The country has strong economic ties with Iran and plans to negotiate with Washington exemptions to a number of sanctions.
Editing by Nadia Riva